1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital measuring instrument. Specifically, the present invention relates to a digital measuring instrument whose display surface is arranged in an attitude substantially orthogonal to a moving direction of a spindle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a digital indicator as the digital measuring instrument which measures dimensions, such as thickness, of a workpiece from a moving amount of a spindle and digitally displays the measured result.
The conventional digital indicator includes a body case, a spindle provided to the body case, the spindle being movable in the axial direction, a displacement detector that detects a moving amount of the spindle, and a digital display that digitally displays the moving amount detected by the displacement detector.
Since a display surface of the digital display is typically provided on a front surface of the body case, namely on a surface parallel with a moving direction of the spindle movably provided to the body case, when a measurement is performed in a condition where it is difficult to visually check the display surface from the front side of the display surface, the measured value displayed on the display surface will be difficult to read.
To solve this problem, there has been developed a so called “back-plunger” type digital dial gauge (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,798, FIGS. 4 to 6, etc.).
In the back-plunger type digital dial gauge, a body case having a digital display is movably provided with a spindle in the direction orthogonal to the display surface of the digital display, and a movable member movable in the direction orthogonal with the moving direction of the spindle. Also, a conversion mechanism is provided between the spindle and the movable member for converting a moving amount of the spindle into the moving amount of the movable member.
However, in the back-plunger type digital dial gauge described in the document, since the digital display is arranged on the body case in a position right above the spindle so as to be orthogonal to the moving direction of the spindle, the moving stroke of the spindle is restricted by the digital display, and therefore it is difficult to obtain a digital dial gauge having a spindle with a long moving stroke.